Twenty-fifth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

During information literacy instruction, academic librarians often struggle to find a variety of teaching tools to maximize young student engagement in the classroom. This paper will address a unique method of application of the concept mapping as a visual teaching tool in the library instruction, which, due to its versatility and adaptability, can be successfully applied in the library educational setting. We will demonstrate how visual concept mapping, being an authentic and meaningful learning tool, allows students to express their research interest more creatively in the searching tools, thus facilitating more productive searching techniques and contribution of librarians to the knowledge construction and progress in the development of a research question. Using Agile core principles and values, we will show how concept mapping can become a valuable tool for transformation. We will compare the effectiveness of the standard search strategy worksheets with the concept mapping exercises and evaluate the effect concept mapping has on students’ engagement in the classroom. Furthermore, we will show how this method appeals to the millennial students, as a means to promote their creative expression as well as facilitate deeper engagement of the students in the classroom through a more relevant learning experience. This research will lay the foundation for the evidence-based approach to utilizing concept mapping in the information literacy education and movement towards agility and transformation in the Higher Education.